Fairhaven Health, located in Bellingham, Wash., announced in an Aug. 13 press release that a recent clinical study found that the company’s male fertility supplement, FertilAid for Men, supported earlier independent studies on the connection between male fertility and nutritional health, particularly antioxidants.
Fairhaven Health is considered to be a specialty manufacturer of fertility-related products for both men and women.
The double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted in 2006 by Dr. J.E. Ellington, a reproductive endocrinologist, and Dr. G.D. Clifton, a pharmacologist. The study ran over a three-month period and was done to determine the effects of Fairhaven Health’s fertility supplement on men with abnormal sperm parameters, as defined by the World Health Organization.
This study follows other independent clinical data that suggests the ingredients found in fertility supplements such as FertilAid may enhance sperm health, including overall sperm count, sperm motility, and normal sperm morphology.
The FertilAid nutritional supplement was formulated by Dr. Amos Grunebaum, said to be one of New York’s foremost obstetricians and gynecologists and the current Director of Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical Center. The fertility dietary supplement contains vitamins, antioxidants, the amino acid L-Carnitine and a blend of herbal ingredients, specifically grape seed extract, maca root extract, and Asian ginseng extract. Other ingredients include selenium, zinc, manganese, chromium, copper, magnesium and vitamins A, C, D, E, K and B-12.
The study found that those men taking the nutritional formula had better improvement in sperm motility than those men who were given a placebo. Regarding motile sperm levels, Dr. Ellington says that “men with higher levels of motile, normally shaped sperm have shown better pregnancy outcomes in several studies.”
Sperm motility means the ability of sperm to swim in a sustained, forward-moving manner. Scientists know that healthy, motile sperm have a better chance or capacity to fertilize an egg and initiate a pregnancy. On the contrary, non-motile or abnormally-motile sperm will usually not be able to produce fertilization. Dr. Ellington said that in the study, “most of the men that had increased sperm counts while taking FertilAid for Men, showed improvements of 20% or more in the number of healthy sperm. Based on this data as well as that in several other studies, I recommend all trying-to-conceive men take a fertility vitamin, such as FertilAid for Men, to optimize their sperm quality.”
Of the Fairhaven Health study, Dr. Grunebaum said it “verifies and bolsters evidence from previous independent studies on nutrition and sperm health. The FertilAid for Men formula is based on previous clinical evidence, and we are pleased to see that this new FertilAid study both confirms and advances research on male fertility health.”
The study contains some encouraging news, not only for couples who are trying to conceive a baby, but for men who are interested in pursuing overall good health.
Sources:
Press release, Male Fertility Supplement Increases Sperm Quality & Motility in Clinical Study; http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/8/prweb546184.htm
Dr. Amos Grunebaum; http://grunebaum.com/
FertilAid, http://fertilaid.com/male-fertility.asp
